Thrust bearing with fluid friction



Sept. 18, 1928. 4 1,684,693

a. BQHM THRUST BEARING WITH FLUID FRICTION Filed Aug. 7, 19 24 30 'of the shaft increase,

Patented -S ept. 18',"1928.

UNITED STATES 2 enone 3611M,

12ers T OFFICE. v

FRIED. xnurr enimanmwnnr'r 'TERUST BEARING WITH FLUID FRICTION.

Application filed August 7, 1924, Serial No 730,705,

This invention relates to thrustbearings. working with fluid friction. With bearings of this kind the fluid friction is produced by flsubdividing one of the thrust bearing sur- 5 faces-Inostly that of the bearfiig into ,a plurality'of bearing surface s m'ents which are formed and arran ed so a to allow them to take by tipping or eflection a slightly inclined position with relation to the cooperating annular bearing surface of the shaft, thereby-creating between the thrust bearing surfaces a wedge-shaped space which is filled with the lubricatingfiuid and which prevents a direct contact of the bearing surfaces. 1)

With all known thrust bearings of the kind stated,'the inclining of the said thrust segments or the spacing of the bearing surfaces from each other is effected bythe fluid pressure of the lubricating oil itself entering 0 or being-sucked in between the bearing surfaces, while when the shaft is at rest the bearing surfaces of the thrust segments bear against the thrust bearing surface of the solid collar of the shaft. As, however, the

' lubricating oil before exerting its spacing action, has to penetrate between the abutting bearing surfaces by capillary and adhesive action, the inclinin of the thrust segments will take place on y as the revolutions that means gradually. At the same time, the inclining. of the thrust se ents is rendered diflicult. because A the frictional force arising at the comparatively A large rubbing surtaces which are at first dry and being per separticularly great during the transition of the shaft from rest tomove- I inept, produces a moment directly opposite to the iniilining of the slid ing surfaces. J i

40 1 The invention-hasfor its object to provide a thrust bearing of the above-stated kind the thrust ring of which, subdivided into thrust gm'ents, is of suchla construction that as soon as thebearing gets loaded, the thrust members willautomatically take an inclined,

position under 'the 7 action of the load, which for instance with step-bearingsv means, that the thrustmembers will take their \inclined position under the action of the weight of theshaft when same is still at rest. V

The accompanying drawing illustrates,

wayjof example, three embodiments of subject-matter of the invention. t

f force which acts and in Germany September 10, 1 925.

Fig. 1 is a developed illustration of a stepbearing constructed in accordance with the invention, the bearing bein not loaded,

Fig. 1 is a similar elevation ing in loaded condition,

Fig. 2 is a section along the Fig. 1, seen from above in illustration,

Figs. 3 and 3 are fragmentary elevations of another embodiment, and

Figs. 4 and 4 are fragmentary elevations of a third embodiment.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 1, 1 and 2 will be described first.

A designates the thrust collar of the shaft, not shown, which is designed to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow, while B designates the thrust ring of the hearing which rests on the housing The thrust bearing ring B (Fig; 2) is constructed as a closed resilient ring; it carrie's a number (in the. thrust segments 6 made of white-metal and is supported on the housing G of the bearing by means of radially tlisposed ribs J2 The arrangement of the thrust segments 6 on the thrust ring B is such that they offset a line 2--2 of a non-developed C 6f the bearing.

of the bearpresent case six) of ,certain distance a: from the supporting surface of the ribs 6 If the-,bearing is loaded in its condition of rest or working (as indicated in Fig; l by arrows), the resilient ringB bends in the manner'to be seen in Fig.1? and the thrust segments b take an infili (1 position with'relation to the thrust '00- a1 shown in the said figure in 'a somewhat'ex- A, this. position being intentionally aggerated way. As the inclined position of f the thrust segments, on, the one hand, de-r pe on thev magnitude of the distance 00- and, the other hand, on the degree of defiectlon of the resilient rin B, a, suitable dimensioning and shaping of the resilient ring and a corresponding selection. of the distance ac allows of attaining the, proper inclined position of the thrust segments for the intendedmedium number of revolutions and load of: any-hearing. -If the bearing ring- B is divided "for-purposesof an eas'yinsrtion and removal, 11: may; nnderieertamcircumstances be advisabfetd construct the end of such a ring section as a resilient; over hanging girder as'shown at-the right -hand- At this end there is end of Fi-gs. 1' and 1. I alsoa-distance w betvgeen thgcorresponding 1 carried by the overhanging end will position itself at an incline in exactly the same manner as the other thrust segments 6 which rest on two supports. I

Figs. 3 and 8 show the invention as applied to a bearing with which the thrust segments 6 are arranged on individual tiltable thrust members E which are adapted to be tipped into an inclined position on radially disposed tilting edges e contrary to the action of a spring I In this case, the thrust segment 6 is likewise situatedat a certain distance a: from the tilting edge 0 so that immediately uponthe loading of the bearing commencing as shown in Fig. 3, there will again take place aii inclining of the I thrust segments with relation, to the surface of the thrust collar A of the shaft.

According to the embodiment illustrated by Figs. 4 and 4 the several thrust segments b are arranged on thrust members'E which are united into an elastic ring by means of thin and resilient intermediate lame'ls F. Every single thrust member rests by a radial recess 6 on a radially disposed tilting edge 0 of the housing 'C of the hearing. In this case, there is also a distance at between the thrust segments 6 and the tilting edge 0 so that also with this embodiment every load, including the dead load, on the bearing will cause the thrust segments to be inclined (see Fig. 4

In contradistinction to the well-known bearings of the kind in question, it is in all cases attained by the described arrangement that the thrust segments 79 automatically take the proper inclined position with relation to the cooperating bearing surface of the shaft collar independently of the pressure of the lubricating oil as soon as any pressure-is exerted on the bearing, so that the necessary wedge-shaped space for the reception of the lubricating oil between the thrust segments 6 and the thrust collar A of the shaft will be immediately produced in an automatic way. With such a bearing the lubricating oil may therefore enter quickly and unhinderedly between the relative rubbing surfaces of the bearing members.

The described bearings therefore possess a double advantage; on the one hand, the

' oil film separating the bearing surfaces during the working and producing the fluid frlctionis not formed only gradually but instantaneously upon the beginning of a loading of the bearing and, on the other hand, there is securely avoided a sliding of large dry rubbing surfaces on one another during the transition of the shaft from rest to movement, this being unavoidable with side of the segment.

. 3. A thrust bearing, one of the bearing.-

on the other.

members of which consists of a thrust collar having a continuous bearing surface and the other of a resilient thrust ring having its bearing surface subdivided'into a plurality of bearing segments non-tiltably secured to sai d, thrust ring, radial ribs supportin said thrust ringat points ofi'set fromsar segments, said rigs being so positioned with reference to the segments that end thrust on the bearing causes the segment-supporting Q sections of the'thrust ring to tilt on the ribs on one side of the segments respectively while the thrust ring flexes between the seg ments and the ribs on the other side of the segments respectively. W

4. A thrust bearing comprising abearing member formed as a thrust collar on a shaft and another bearing member formed as a resilient ring resting'on radial supporting f ribs and having its bearing su face subdivided into a plurality of bearingsegments noIi-tiltably secured to said ring', the said ribs being ofiset relatively to said egments, said resilient ring comprlsingisegment-supporting overhanging girder sections and resilient connecting sections.

5. A thrust bearing in which one ofthe bearing members consists of a lurality of thrust segments each non-tilta 1y secured to a yieldable member pivotally supported at apoint offset with respect to the segment.

comprising a,plurality of separate plates, each of said plates being supported at its ends and havin plate between t e points of support and each of said plates being tapered lengthwise of itself and circumferentially of the hearing throu 'hout at least a portion of its length an each plate havinga projecting friction pad between its ends adapted to abut the rotary member.

7. A thrust bearing comprising an armate bearing plate," a supporting surface, means to space the'plate away from said surface at a plurality of points, the plate between said points being of varying thick- 6. A thrust bearing 'for rotary members a clearance beneath the.

ness lengthwise of the plate and circumferentially of the bearing, and a bearing pad on said plate between each two .of said points for causing deflection of the plate between said points.

8. A bearing comprising a moving member, a plurality of bearing elements each of which comprises a bearin shoe which in itself is rigid and non-yielding, and yielding members between which said shoe is located, said members in conjunction serving to support the shoe at two points to provide a clearance beneath the shoe between the points of support, the supporting member at the forward end of the shoe being adapted to yield prior to the other supporting member fora given load to inaugurate a wedge shaped pocket between the surface of the shoe and the surface of the moving memberand both su porting members being adapted to yield for igher loads whereby said wedge shaped space is maintained.

9. A bearing comprising a moving member, a plurality of bearing elements each of which comprises a bearing shoe which in itself is rigid and non-yielding, and yielding members between which said shoe is located, said members in conjunction servin to support the shoe between the points 0 support, both of said supporting members being adapted to yield under the action of the load but the supporting member at the 8 in which the yielding members are in the form of legs associated with the bearing elements.

11. A vbearing in accordance with claim 9 in which the yielding members are in the form of legs associated with the bearing elements.

The foregoing specification signed at Hamburg, Germany, this 11th day of July GEORG B()HM. 

